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When Angel woke, the room was filled with a strange light.
She blinked a few times, puzzled that the window was on the right side of the bed rather than the left, and then the previous evening came flooding back to her. She’d stayed the night in Hal’s cottage. They’d kissed and cuddled on the sofa for a while, and then he’d suggested going to bed, as he wasn’t a small guy and the sofa wasn’t exactly roomy. He’d put on the electric blanket, and by the time he’d banked up the fire and they’d run to the bedroom, it was warm and cozy under the duvet.
Despite his insistence that he was going to keep her up all night, they’d actually just talked for a long time, her lying in his arms, her cheek resting on his chest. Then, before she knew it, she’d fallen asleep. As she looked at her phone on the bedside table and saw it was nearly six a.m., she realized she’d slept right through. Jeez. Hoping he wasn’t too disappointed, she turned over to face him.
The heater in the room had kept it at an even temperature, and he was still asleep, on his back, the duvet pushed down to his hips, one arm resting up by his head.
Entranced at the view of warm, sleeping male, she curled up by his side, propping her head on a hand, and let her gaze wander over him, taking her time to drink her fill now he was oblivious to being examined. He was a fine specimen of a man, from his muscular shoulders and arms to the sprinkling of hair on his chest that culminated in a sexy trail running beneath the duvet. His dark hair was ruffled, and his jaw had a generous layer of stubble. She remembered the thick beard he’d sported when they’d first met, and smiled.
As she’d suspected, a feral tiger existed beneath the loyal Labrador he projected on the surface. She loved the fact that he’d gotten carried away while they were making love. No wonder he’d broken up with his wife. The tiger had been kept in a four-by-four cage, and she suspected it was rather enjoying stretching its legs.
When he’d asked her to stay, he’d blown her away. She’d been prepared to return to her cottage after they’d slept together. She’d thought the sex would be quick and fun, but after they’d shared the physical intimacy, they’d both be relieved to move on. But he’d looked at her with those bright blue eyes that had burned with passion and something else... a kind of possessive desire, as if he couldn’t bear to let her go, and she’d been unable to refuse.
And she was so glad she hadn’t. How nice it was to wake up next to someone, especially a guy as gorgeous as Hal. She was totally going to do him again when she’d been to the bathroom.
Getting out of bed, she shivered in the not-quite-warm-enough air, ran through to the bathroom, went to the loo, rinsed her mouth with some of his toothpaste, then came back, thinking once again that the room had a strange light as she walked in. She went over to the curtains and peered through, then gasped at the view.
As if the Earth had suffered an enormous shock, the whole world had turned white overnight. The road, the cars, the walls, the roofs of the houses, everything was covered with a thick layer of snow. And the flakes were still falling. It was too early for anyone to be up and about, so the white blanket was undisturbed, and would no doubt remain so, with the causeway impassable from about ten a.m.
“Wow.”
She jumped as Hal spoke behind her, and then felt his arms slide around her waist. “I know,” she whispered. “Isn’t it amazing?”
He pulled her back against his warm body and nuzzled her neck. “It certainly is.” He ran his hands down her waist to her hips, then back up over her stomach and ribs to her breasts.
“I was talking about the snow,” she said wryly, turning in his arms.
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s snowing?”
She laughed and lifted her arms around his neck. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” He bent his head and kissed her. “Can I say Merry Christmas now?”
“Oh, of course!” She’d completely forgotten it was Christmas Day. “Oh, look what Santa brought me.” She stroked down his body and closed her hand around his erection. “It only needs a bow.”
He tutted and pushed her hand away. “As much as my morning glory would love to take advantage of you, I need to pee.” He walked off, toward the bedroom. “Get back in bed before you freeze. Then I’ll let you unwrap me.” He smirked and left the room.
Her pulse picking up its pace, she pulled the curtains fully open and snuck back under the covers to watch the snow. Would he want her to spend the whole day with him? Either way, she would be happy. She’d had a fantastic time already—she certainly wasn’t expecting him to ask her to stay once they were up, although if he did, she probably wouldn’t say no...
While she waited for him, she picked up her phone and brushed her thumb across the screen. She’d missed two calls the evening before, while she was busy with Hal, one from Lesa and one from her mother. Lesa had then sent her a text, and she pulled it up again now.
Hope everything is well with you. Tried to call but no answer. I’m a little worried. Let me know how you are, won’t you? Merry Christmas, Angel, we all miss you here. x
She’d replied before she’d gone to bed with, All good here. Don’t worry. Speak tomorrow. Merry Christmas! A x, being purposefully vague, not ready yet to discuss Hal with anyone. She turned off the phone and put it back on the table, then curled on her side, pulling the duvet around her.
Why didn’t she want to talk about him? She traced a pattern on the duvet cover, nibbling her bottom lip. Was it because he was younger than she was? Her mother wouldn’t approve. Her father had been seven years older, and Robbie was three years older than Lesa, and that was the way it was done, in her mother’s eyes. She could already hear the jokes, Oh, got yourself a toyboy have you? Or What did you get him for Christmas, Angel, a rattle?
She wasn’t sure how she felt about their age difference. It wasn’t as if she was old enough to be his mother or anything—there was only five years between them, for Christ’s sake—but it was odd to think that when she’d been twenty-one he’d only been sixteen. Eek. That made her feel uneasy, although there was an obvious difference between that and her being thirty-four and him twenty-nine. She hadn’t thought about it at all while they were talking or when they made love.
Maybe more significant was the fact that he was married and had two kids. Again, she could picture the reaction from her family—her mother would roll her eyes, and Lesa’s would fill with pity and disappointment. But the thing was, she was thirty-four. What were the chances that she was going to meet someone five years either side of her age who’d never had a serious relationship of any kind? If they hadn’t, it would make them pretty weird.
Deep down, though, she knew it was neither of those things that had stopped her telling Lesa where she was the night before. This time with Hal was like an expensive Christmas bauble, something special she’d brought out to admire for a specific time before it took its place in her memories, where she’d file it away and only bring it out to admire when she was alone. Their age, their families, everything was irrelevant except for the fact that they’d found consolation in one another. It was private, and it was beautiful, and she didn’t want to show it to anyone else, to have them handle it with their dirty fingers and leave it tarnished. She wanted to keep this moment forever—the memory of the crisp white snow outside, the scent of Hal’s body spray lingering on the sheets, the excitement in the pit of her belly at the thought of making love with him again. Maybe she’d never tell anyone about what had happened here on the island. It would be her eternal secret that she’d keep hidden forever, hoarded away in the treasure chest in her mind.
“Penny for them,” Hal said, walking back into the room. “You look sad.”
“No, not at all.” She refused to think of how it made her feel to reflect that it would all soon be over. “Quite the opposite.”
He slid beneath the covers and pulled her into his arms, rolling onto his back so she was on top of him. “You sure? If you don’t want to stay...”
She looked into his eyes, catching her breath at the sultry desire there, then brushed her lips against his. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere until I’ve had you at least twice, Hal Carlson.”
“Twice?” he murmured.
“Yep, so I hope you’ve eaten plenty of spinach recently. You’ll want to keep those muscles nice and strong.” She moved to one side, slid her hand under the covers, and stroked down to his burgeoning erection. Closing her hand around it, she only had to give him a couple of strokes and it was like holding an iron rod in her hand.
“Jesus,” she muttered. “I’ve got to investigate this further.”
Hal’s eyes widened, and he lifted up onto his elbows as she kissed down his chest, moving beneath the duvet. She brushed her lips across his stomach and down his happy trail, then heard him fall onto his back as she moved between his legs.
He was an amazing specimen of masculinity, and she spent a pleasant five minutes or so exploring with her lips and tongue and fingers, trying not to smile at his muffled groans and sighs, before she kissed back up his body and emerged into the cool morning air.
“Sorry,” she said when he opened one eye and looked at her. “But I want you inside me, and I can’t wait.”
He slipped his arms around her waist and rolled until she was on her back, then stroked down her body to between her legs and slid his fingers into her folds. He obviously found her already wet and swollen, because his eyebrows rose, and he smiled as he reached across the bedside table for a condom.
“What?” she asked.
He shook his head, tore off the wrapping, and gave her an amused look before he rolled the condom on. “You’re amazing.”
She laughed. “Why? Because you turn me on?”
The condom in place, he pulled her close to him again, lying on their sides. Without answering, he kissed her, hot and hard, delving his tongue into her mouth, and lifted her leg across his hips as he guided his erection beneath her. She shifted a little, helping him out, and then he was pressing against her entrance, and oh, dear Jesus, he was sliding inside her, so slowly, stretching her, filling her, and it was so fantastic she clenched her hands in his hair and cried out.
He stopped immediately and lifted his head. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She tipped back her head, her lips parting, and moved her hips, just enjoying the sensation. “You feel... ohhh... so good...”
His fingers tightened on her hips, and he drew back and pushed forward, burying himself deep inside her. She kissed him, sliding her tongue against his, mimicking the movement of him inside her, and he groaned and thrust harder.
“Slowly,” she murmured. Lifting up, she rolled him onto his back so she was on top and straightened, sitting astride him. “We’re going to take our time this morning.”
He brushed his hands up her ribs and cupped her breasts. “I can see the shield maiden likes to be in charge.”
“I do.” She rocked her hips slowly, closing her eyes as he tugged on her nipples. “I’m a control freak...” Her voice drifted away as pleasurable sensations began to spiral through her. “Mmm... Hal...”
“Take your time, Angel. No need to rush anything.” Laughter filled his voice as he moved a hand between them and circled his thumb over her clit.
She looked down at him, having trouble focusing. “Stop that.” Catching his hands in hers, she pinned them above his head. Unfortunately, that meant she was leaning over him, and he took a nipple in his mouth and sucked.
“Ohhh...”
It was like a beautiful ice dance, the way they moved together, the gentle, inexorable spiral into dizzying heights of passion. She wanted to go slowly, to take time to drive him crazy, but the slide of him through her folds, the touch of his mouth and hands on her body... She slowed the thrust of her hips, determined to wait.
“Angel.”
Opening her eyes to look at him, she watched him pat the side of the bed, indicating for her to move off him. She did so, about to turn onto her back, but he lifted up and pushed her forward, and she fell onto her front. Before she could move, he was on top of her, parting her legs, and within seconds he was inside her again, his big, heavy body pinning her down.
“Fuck.” She buried her face in the pillow.
He bent and put his mouth next to her ear. “I was only letting you think you were in charge.”
She groaned. “Hal...”
He thrust forward, and she clutched at the pillow at the sensation of him going so deep. “I was trying to go slow,” she whispered. “I wanted to watch you lose control again.”
“Not this time.” He slid a hand beneath her and rubbed a finger over her clit. “That was a one-off.” He kissed down her neck and then fastened his mouth there, sucking hard, and she shuddered. Her body was tensing, her orgasm a blur in the distance, rapidly coming into focus.
Hal on top was like having a truck roll over her—she couldn’t move, couldn’t do anything but lie there while he thrust into her, and the thought of being under this man’s control, of him being in charge of her arousal, was so hot that she just gave in and let him guide her right to the edge, and then push her over.
The orgasm was long and powerful, and she lost herself in the sensations, for a moment forgetting who she was, where she was, everything except how amazing it felt to have Hal in her, around her, making love to her with such passion that it brought tears to her eyes.
He lifted up onto his hands and thrust harder, faster, carrying her through, and just as she fell limply onto the pillow, he yelled, “Fuck!” and pushed forward hard, his hips jerking as he spilled inside her.
They stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, locked together, and then he gave a great gasp and collapsed on top of her, breathing heavily in her ear.
He was still inside her, and Angel shivered with the aftershocks of her orgasm. “Jesus,” she muttered. She was never going to be able to move again. “Hal...”
He sucked her earlobe. “What?”
“You’re squashing me.”
“So?”
“Oh my God.” She clenched her internal muscles and nearly came again. “Holy fuck.”
He groaned and withdrew from her, shifted a little to the side, then pulled her back into his arms.
“One down, one to go,” she said weakly.
He gave a short laugh. “At least let me get my breath back. Are you trying to kill me with climaxes?”
“It’s my superpower,” she mumbled. “Orgasma-girl.”
They both started laughing, while the snow continued to fall outside, coating the world in white.
